The PGA Tour’s Signature Events plan has split opinion in the sport, but generally the move has been seen as a positive step from the biggest professional tour.
It seems the idea behind the PGA Tour’s Signature Events is to elevate these eight events above the rest of the events in the schedule to close the gap between regular tour events and the Majors.
PGA TOUR Signature Events will be limited-field events offering increased purses and FedExCup points.
Those fields, which will range from roughly 70-80 players in size, should be made up of the top performers from the previous season and the current season.
The PGA TOUR has sought to provide members with several different avenues to play their way into the TOUR’s biggest events outside of the Majors and THE PLAYERS Championship.
For the coming 2024 FedExCup Season, there will be eight Signature Events with limited field sizes.
Which tournaments are PGA TOUR Signature Events?
The Sentry (Jan. 1-7)
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)
The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 12-18)
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 4-10)
RBC Heritage (April 15-21)
Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-12)
the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 3-9)
Travelers Championship (June 17-23)
How do players qualify?
Eligibility criteria for 2024 season opener The Sentry will include the top 50 players from the previous season’s FedExCup standings through the FedExCup Playoffs (BMW Championship qualifiers) and tournament winners from the prior year, including Additional Events and the FedExCup Fall.
Eligibility for the remaining seven Signature Events will reward top performers from the previous season, the current season and the swings leading up to each Signature Event. Fields for the Signature Events (outside of The Sentry) are expected to be approximately 70-80 players, with eligibility categories including:
• Top 50 in the previous season’s FedExCup standings (BMW Championship qualifiers)
• Top 10 available and not otherwise exempt from current FedExCup standings (The Next 10)
• Top five available and not otherwise exempt FedExCup points earners from the swings leading up to each Signature Event (The Swing 5)
• If not exempt from the three categories above, current-year tournament winners and PGA TOUR members in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking
• Four sponsor exemptions (PGA TOUR members)
• The three player-hosted invitationals will each have one tournament host exemption, which is not restricted to PGA TOUR members.
Timing overview
Overview of timing for The Next 10 and The Swing 5 for the seven Signature Events, outside The Sentry:
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)
– The Next 10 – from the final FedExCup Fall standings
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open
• The Genesis Invitational (Feb. 12-18)
– The Next 10 – from the final FedExCup Fall standings
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Sony Open in Hawaii, The American Express, Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (March 4-10)
– The Next 10 – from the current FedExCup standings through The Classic in The Palm Beaches
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Mexico Open at Vidanta and The Classic in The Palm Beaches
• RBC Heritage (April 15-21)
– The Next 10 – from the current FedExCup standings through the Masters Tournament
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Puerto Rico Open, Valspar Championship, Texas Children’s Houston Open and Valero Texas Open
• Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-12)
– The Next 10 – from the current FedExCup standings through AT&T Byron Nelson
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Corales Puntacana Championship, Zurich Classic of New Orleans and AT&T Byron Nelson
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (June 3-9)
– The Next 10 – from the current FedExCup standings through RBC Canadian Open
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Myrtle Beach Classic, Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open
• Travelers Championship (June 17-23)
– The Next 10 – from the current FedExCup standings through U.S. Open
– The Swing 5 – top FedExCup points earners from Myrtle Beach Classic, Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Canadian Open
Will Signature Events have a cut?
While the three player-hosted invitationals (The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday) will feature a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties and any player within 10 shots of the lead, and a redistribution of prize money that allocates 20% to the winner ($4 million), up from 18%, the other five Signature Events will not feature any sort of cut.
What is The Next 10?
The Next 10 is one of the qualifying criteria for the Signature Events (outside of The Sentry) laid out by the PGA TOUR. The aim of this measure is to recognize the top 10 players, not otherwise exempt, from the FedExCup standings.
For the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational, The Next 10 will come from the 2023 FedExCup standings through the FedExCup Fall (Nos. 51-60).
For each Signature Event after Genesis, the top 10 players from the current FedExCup Points List, not otherwise exempt through the week prior, will be eligible. This category will always fill to 10 players as the TOUR seeks to further reward good form.
What is The Swing 5?
The Swing 5 is one of the qualifying criteria for the Signature Events (outside of The Sentry). Each set of Full-Field and Additional Events between Signature Events will count as a swing. The top five players, not otherwise exempt, earning the most FedExCup points through each swing leading up to each Signature Event, will qualify. Points earned in Signature Events and Majors do not count toward the swing category. This category will always fill to five players.
When are the “play-in” categories set?
The Next 10, The Swing 5 and the top 30 from the Official World Golf Ranking restricted to PGA TOUR members will be set following the tournament immediately preceding the Signature Event (Monday of tournament week).
Do winners of Full-Field Events have guaranteed eligibility into Signature Events for a full calendar year?
Tournament winners of Full-Field Events are only guaranteed into the remaining Signature Events in that year. For example, if a player wins the first Full-Field Event of the year, they are exempt from the remaining Signature Events that year (and The Sentry to start the next season). If a player wins the last event of the year, they would be eligible for The Sentry the following year, but they would have to play their way into the other Signature Events.
Do winners of Additional Events qualify for the remaining Signature Events that year?
While winning an Additional Event does not guarantee a player access into the next Signature Event, the 300 FedExCup points received will position any winners well for The Swing 5 category.
Winners of Additional Events qualify for The Sentry and THE PLAYERS Championship by those tournaments specific qualifying criteria.
Will there be restrictions on Signature Event sponsor exemptions?
Sponsor exemptions for Signature Events will be limited to existing PGA TOUR members but beyond that those exemptions will be entirely discretionary.
In addition to sponsor exemptions, the three player-hosted invitationals will also each have one tournament host exemption, which will not be restricted to PGA TOUR members: these are The Genesis Invitational’s Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, Arnold Palmer Invitational Arnold Palmer Cup Exemption and the Memorial Tournament’s Jack Nicklaus Award for NCAA Division I National Player of the Year exemption which will always be handed to an amateur.
PGA TOUR Signature Events: Everything you need to know Golf365.
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